Naturalism In English Literature

“Letter to My Master, Thomas Auld” explores Frederick Douglass’ view of slavery and Thomas Auld, his former slave master, in a smart and emotionally charged letter originally written in 1848 and published in the abolitionist newspaper North Star. Throughout the letter, Douglass uses his own experience as a slave to drive his views, often using sarcasm and a dark recognition of his trials to drive his own view of slavery; that slavery should be abolished and that it is inhumane and cruel. Douglass’ decision to publish this paper in the North Star allowed him to bring to light his experiences to push other readers of the newspaper towards an abolitionist stand point by bringing his first-hand accounts of slavery forward and explaining, at times

Banneker Writes to thomas jefferson about the wrongs of slavery. HIs purpose is to argue against slavery. Banneker does this by using an appeal to logic to prove how slavery is illogical, diction to show the cruelty of slavery, and parallelism to show that they are like the white men who wanted their freedom as well. Banneker shows how illogical slavery is to help create an argument against it. He pulls in the Declaration of INdependence, which Thomas Jefferson wrote, it says “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal…” (lines 21-25).

Even after the abolition of laws to protect African Americans from slavery it has proven to be only but a false promise to protect them against discrimination and racism, and leaving them with doubt in their hearts of future suffering for generations to come. Furthermore, the subject of slavery is subject that the author want to use to make one understand what suffering an African American person continue to experience. In addition, Austin Wilson has been a great historian towards the suffering of African Americans. Moreover, Austin Wilson’s play make us comprehend the severity of the discrimination and racism.

They were ashamed because of the perpetuation of human slavery and that they needed the black man’s help to save the country. He used Helen Boardman’s study of current textbooks of the time that documented three dominant themes: All Negroes were ignorant; All Negroes were lazy, dishonest and extravagant; and Negroes were responsible for bad government during Reconstruction. Wright believed and showed us through his writing that African Americans acted one way when around white people in order to avoid trouble and a different way when around blacks. Myrdal realized that during his study, he had to look at the whole of American culture in order to understand why the Negro was felt to be a problem for the whites in America. He determined that the white people want to eliminate the Negro from the American scene, but want to do that slowly.

Until 1865, the enslavement of African Americans was legal in the United States (History.com Staff). Most of the nation believed that African Americans weren’t equal to Whites and could be treated as property. Even after slavery was abolished, these racist ideals were ingrained in the minds of most Southerners. In the 1930s, racial ignorance still caused society to believe that African Americans were sinful and a lesser race.

The adventure of Huckleberry Finn is a novel set before the Civil war, when slavery was legal and seen as the social norm, but written during post civil war. This novel demonstrates all the aspects or traditional America, as far from what it is today. Mark twain illustrates a lifetime were slavery and racism were seen as a natural part of life. Through incidents, comments by the characters and statements by the narrator 's Twain illustrates a satirical atmosphere on slavery and racism.

As seen in Edwin S. Porter’s film Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1903), the acting in the movie became whitewashed by actors who were in blackface. Whereas the film leans towards making light of the matter at hand, whereas the movie relentlessly reinforces the idea of racist tendencies hiding within American cinema. Another film, Gone with the Wind (1939) depicts African Americans as savagely, ignorant, and only functional with a white owner. Purposefully avoiding the subject of slavery, the film was set during the Civil War-era. The movie also boldly broadcasts that two categories of African Americans existed, the respectable obedient slaves, and the immoral field workers

The author, David Smith, discusses the topic of racial issues from the 19th century. During this time period, even abolitionists treated black people as lesser people than themselves. Smith describes how this book displays the discrimination of black people, and how even when slaves gain freedom, society does not allow them to feel entirely “free.” He also defines the term race as a term one uses to undermine a different group of people. In the 1800s, many saw black people as inadequate and simpleminded, Twain introduces Jim as a sympathetic and caring man.

Throughout the course of the novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain utilizes morally questionable terminology, situations, and subjects in the book to draw attention to the racism so prevalent in southern White society during the 1800’s. Through the use of scathing commentary and major character development, Twain’s stance on racism is clear: he passionately disapproves of the treatment and objectification of Blacks. Although, by today’s standards, the novel is deemed by many as politically incorrect, Twain’s writing reflects the times in which the novel was written, and ultimately makes his position on the injustices and hypocrisy of White society be known. In the first paragraph of the first chapter, Huck makes strides to distinguish

Moreover, racist practices of discrimination against colored maids reinforce anger 's idea of black maids who suffered racism and ill-treatment. According to Hegel, ‘Black Colored’ is a concept first created by Europeans and defined in opposition to European. He saw black color the lowest stage of development shown by European culture, whose natural outcome must be the state or nationhood. Hegel said that black color simply did not exist. This reflects the extremely racism towards the blacks.

When one examines the racial inequality in the American correctional system you must first understand the historical event of slavery. Many Criminologist has ignored the idea that American history of slavery has any effect on the reason why African Americans make a big portion of the correctional system. The ideal of institutional racism seems foreign and almost seems as a myth to those in corrections or the legal system. That fact remains that institutional racism effect minorities because they are targeted and incarcerated more than their white counterparts. The institutional racism theory believes that racism occurs whenever there are laws, regulations, and bias that have an intentional and unequal impact on racial minorities (Whisner, 2015).

The first chapter explores the two major themes of the novel which are race and society begins Twain’s exploration of race and society, two of the major thematic concerns in Huckleberry Finn by implicitly/indirectly contrasting the type of slavery that is typical/normal with the more brutal form of plantation slavery since by describing the “better” version of slavery, Twain more sharply criticize the subtle degradation that accompanies all forms of slavery

He expands on the idea of the “freedom” that black people received not being freedom. The weight of ignorance that black people had to endure because of economic and educational barriers was also a point made. One idea that stood out to me is when he commented on the destruction of the black family due to

The Scottsboro Boys Case and To Kill a Mockingbird were cases of the injustice of black men. Harper Lee was trying to point out that a person 's skin color or race does not justify the actions they done, that anyone who practices prejudice is foolish. That prejudice is an actual reality that a person experiences first hand and hurts others in the process. Like Harper Lee with her father being a lawyer she must’ve experienced it first hand. These stories teach us that you shouldn’t judge a person by their race.

“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future, and renders the present inaccessible” (Maya Angelou). The famous American author and civil rights activist Maya Angelou tells the world that prejudice prevents people from treating each other as equals. Angelou’s words hold true in the Pre-Civil Rights South, where people are heavily prejudiced towards black people. Harper Lee’s literary classic To Kill a Mockingbird illustrates the grave consequences of prejudice, and its effect on the relationships between the residents of Maycomb, Alabama. In the Pre-Civil Rights South, relationships are structured based on a social hierarchy that is skewed in favor of whites, illustrating that one’s prejudice leads to intolerance of others.